Splitting an invoice into instalments

Last updated: 2026-06-18 Available on every plan

When the outstanding balance on an invoice is about $1,000 or more (the threshold scales to the invoice's currency), the customer's pay page surfaces an Instalment plan option. Splitting a large bill into smaller pieces makes it easier for the customer to say yes, and it keeps cash flowing in instead of an invoice stalling indefinitely.

How a customer requests a plan

On the pay page, beneath the standard Pay {{ amount }} button, the customer sees:

Need to split this into payments?

Expanding that reveals four options:

• Pay in 2 instalments — half today, half in 30 days
• Pay in 3 instalments — split into thirds, 30 days between each
• Pay in 6 instalments — six monthly payments
• Pay in 12 instalments — twelve monthly payments

Each option shows the typical instalment amount inline (e.g. ≈ $208.33 / month for a $2,500 invoice split into 12) so the customer can pick what fits their cashflow.

When they click Request instalment plan, Duefy records the selection on the invoice — but does not immediately charge the card on file. The sender (you) reviews the request and confirms the schedule with the customer first.

What you see when a plan is requested

The invoice's timeline gains an installment_requested entry with the plan size and the time. The invoice record stores the proposed schedule in installment_plan as JSON — first payment due today, each subsequent one one month later.

If you and the customer agree to the plan, future reminders go out on the instalment due dates rather than the original invoice due date. If you want to reject the plan (e.g. the schedule doesn't work for your business), reach out to the customer directly — there's no "reject" button on the dashboard yet; the request is informational.

How the split is calculated

The total is divided evenly into cents, and any remainder lands on the first instalment. So a $1,250.37 invoice split into 6 becomes:

Always sums back to the original total to the cent — no rounding drift.

Limits and gotchas

• Floor: only offered when the outstanding balance is ≥ ~$1,000 (or the equivalent in the invoice's currency — e.g. roughly £790 or ¥150,000). Smaller invoices show no instalment UI.
• Plan counts: exactly 2, 3, 6 or 12. Anything else is rejected at the server side.
• Currency: the instalment amounts inherit the invoice's currency (USD, EUR, GBP, etc).
• Autopay: an instalment plan and autopay are independent — a customer can have either, both, or neither. With both, Duefy attempts to autocharge the saved card on each instalment due date.